Christmas in July and the Jerome-de Bothezat Flying Octopus

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorAugust 13, 2025

Christmas in July and the Jerome-de Bothezat Flying Octopus Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: MSN.com-news and technology/article by Harrison Kass, Wikipedia, US Navy   The First Helicopter Was Far, Far Ahead of Its Time Story by Harrison Kass Downloaded on July 25, 2025 from: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/the-first-helicopter-was-far-far-ahead-of-its-time/ar-AA1F4HcC   Twenty years would pass before anyone improved upon the performance of…

On This Day in Aviation History– Weather Forecasting Debuts

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorAugust 11, 2025

On This Day in Aviation History– Weather Forecasting Debuts Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com, Library of Congress, Arkansas Air and Military Museum, Alamy   Robert FitzRoy.  Alamy Stock Photo Thunderstorms are forecasted today on this August 1st—some severe—here in the Sandhills of NC.  I’m preparing to go out for a bike ride and will be…

This Day in Aviation History: The USS Indianapolis

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorAugust 5, 2025

This Day in Aviation History: The USS Indianapolis Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com, US Navy, PhotoQuest/Getty Images   Happy “hump day” for those still working full time.  Today’s “this day in aviation history” is about a heavy cruiser, the USS Indianapolis.  “What,”  you may ask, “does a heavy cruiser have to do with aviation?”  “Well,”…

On This Day in Aviation History: A Precursor to 9-11?

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorAugust 5, 2025

On This Day in Aviation History: A Precursor to 9-11? Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com and Bettman archive   In 1945 the Empire State Building in New York City was the tallest building in the world.  We were told as kids that if you dropped a penny from the observation deck on the 86th floor,…

A July 2025 “This month in aviation history”: Quiet Supersonic

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorJuly 29, 2025

A July 2025 “This month in aviation history”: Quiet Supersonic Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: Space.com and NASA   When I was a kid growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, the North American “X-15” was the “plane du jour” for kids dreaming of becoming pilots…or better yet, astronauts.  Pilots of the X-15 earned their astronaut…

The First Spacewalk by a Woman

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorJuly 29, 2025

The First Spacewalk by a Woman Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: www.space.com, TASS/Getty Images   On this day in space! July 25, 1984: First spacewalk by a woman Downloaded July 25, 2025 from: https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html?utm_term=80CFE072-3D22-4ED3-B366-38D5778C5AB2&lrh=979456b06da101021af8477d820fe42a8b8fac61060c8f48a99307e6facca454&utm_campaign=58E4DE65-C57F-4CD3-9A5A-609994E2C5A9&utm_medium=email&utm_content=87EBF5C8-7B28-4810-B182-4DF63BCF324E&utm_source=SmartBrief   By Hanneke Weitering    On July 25, 1984, the Russian cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to embark on a spacewalk, also…

First Cape Canaveral Launch

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorJuly 28, 2025

First Cape Canaveral Launch Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: Space.com, NASA.   On this day in space! July 24, 1950: First launch from Cape Canaveral By Hanneke Weitering  Downloaded today from:  https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html?utm_term=80CFE072-3D22-4ED3-B366-38D5778C5AB2&lrh=979456b06da101021af8477d820fe42a8b8fac61060c8f48a99307e6facca454&utm_campaign=58E4DE65-C57F-4CD3-9A5A-609994E2C5A9&utm_medium=email&utm_content=AC8B93AD-2AA3-4D07-9BD0-912487D7BCB4&utm_source=SmartBrief   Here’s another of those “firsts” we’ve written about from time-to-time over the years of these aviation history vignettes being published. And this one was a…

An Aviation History Fourfer

Aviation History, Aviation news, HistoryBy KSOP EditorJuly 21, 2025

An Aviation History Fourfer Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com, ESPN, San Diego Air and Space Museum, Jay Nemeth/Red Bull   In honor of the 95 degrees we’re experiencing in the Sandhills, welcome to a sizzling “hot” mid-July aviation history “fourfer” (fourfer the price of one) starting with today, July 20th, remembering the anniversary of first…